THE WOODLANDS, Texas, March 4, 2021 — Woodforest National Bank® (Woodforest) recently won the 2020 BAI Global Innovation Award in the Societal & Community Impact Innovation category for its Woodforest CEI-Boulos Opportunity Fund, which invests in high-impact commercial real estate projects in Opportunity Zones with the goal of benefitting economically distressed communities across the bank’s 17-state footprint.
News
CEI Ventures, Inc. Announces Initial Closing of Coastal Ventures V LP, the Good Jobs Fund, at $14.85 Million
March 10, 2021 (Brunswick, ME) – CEI Ventures, Inc. finalized the initial closing of its fifth fund on March 1, 2021 with a capital raise of $14.85 million from 32 accredited investors. A subsidiary of Coastal Enterprises, Inc. (CEI), a non-profit community development financial institution (CDFI) and innovative leader in rural business development, CEI Ventures is one of the only venture capital firms in the U.S. with a mission focus and proven strategy to help create good jobs. Since 1996, including last week’s closing, CEI Ventures has raised over $60 million and invested in 64 companies across five funds, helping to create 2,700 new jobs in geographic regions and with demographic populations often overlooked by traditional venture capital investors.
CEI Welcomes New Colleagues to its Board of Directors and Staff Teams
Brunswick, ME — February 25, 2021— Coastal Enterprises, Inc. (CEI) announces the appointment of two new members, Jeanette Andre and Devin Cook, to its board of directors, and the addition of three new staff members, Azenaide Pedro, Linnea Patterson and Peter Piconi, to its team.
CEI Partners with Six Businesses for 2021 Maine Tastemakers Initiative
Nichole and Leon Sargent, Owners of Southpaw Packing dba Windham Butcher Shop. Photo: Coastal Enterprises, Inc. February 23, 2021 (Brunswick, ME) – Coastal Enterprises, Inc. (CEI) today announced the names of the six Maine food companies selected for the 2021 Tastemakers Initiative: Bristol Seafood in Portland, Luke’s Lobster in Saco & Portland, Good to Go in Kittery, Maine Crisp Company in Winslow, Ocean’s Balance in Biddeford and Southpaw Packing dba Windham Butcher Shop in Windham. The selected companies will receive specialized consulting and investor networking opportunities. This is the fourth year of the Tastemakers Initiative, part of an ongoing partnership between CEI and FocusMaine to support the growth of Maine’s food economy.
Maine Business and Higher Education Leaders Announce New Compact on Immigration
CONTACT:Beth Stickney, Esq., Executive Director of the Maine Business Immigration Coalition (MeBIC)
CEI Comment on the Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on Reforming the Community Reinvestment Act Regulatory Framework
February 16, 2021
Woodforest National Bank Named 2020 BAI Global Innovation Awards Finalist for Woodforest CEI-Boulos Opportunity Fund
THE WOODLANDS, Texas, Feb. 4, 2021 — Woodforest National Bank® (Woodforest) is selected as a finalist in the Societal & Community Impact Innovation category for the 2020 BAI Global Innovation Awards, a prestigious awards program recognizing financial services organizations that have gone beyond the conventional to bring creative ideas to life, especially during a time of unprecedented change.
Historic Hotel Reopens in Selma, Alabama with Investment from Woodforest CEI-Boulos Opportunity Fund
THE WOODLANDS, TX / January 26, 2021 / The Woodforest CEI-Boulos Opportunity Fund, a high-impact commercial real estate Opportunity Zone fund established by Woodforest National Bank® and CEI-Boulos Capital Management, announced its $2 million equity investment in the redevelopment of the historic, long-shuttered St. James Hotel in Selma, Alabama. The St. James Hotel, the only hotel in downtown Selma, will support the city’s growing civil rights tourism industry and help revitalize the local economy, creating 45 permanent jobs with training, health insurance and other benefits (42 of these jobs will be accessible to people with low incomes). The Woodforest CEI-Boulos Opportunity Fund is the only outside investor in the redevelopment project, spearheaded by Birmingham-based Rhaglan Hospitality, which renovated and expanded the iconic St. James Hotel into a boutique 55-key, Hilton™ Tapestry, full-service hotel.
Applications Now Open for Year Two of CEI’s Child Care Business Lab
Applications Due on February 5 for Entrepreneurs Interested in Launching New Child Care Businesses in the Rim Counties or Lewiston
New Recipe Cookbook for Maine Farmed Sea Scallops
December 17, 2020 (Stonington, Maine) – “Farmed sea scallops from Maine.” That has a nice ring to it and now consumers will have some expert culinary guidance on how to prepare these delicious shellfish. Recipe Ideas for Farmed Sea Scallops. The Whole Story is a new cookbook released today co-authored by local fisherman Marsden Brewer and natural history writer Marnie Reed Crowell, both Stonington residents. CEI announced the release of the publication as part of a three-year initiative funded by the Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research to further develop scallop farming efforts in the state of Maine.